The End As We Know It
by LoneStallion
Summary: THE WORLD IS OVER! Now the dead walk the streets and those still alive struggle to survive. One woman struggles to survive on her own as she looks for her lost brother and friend. During her search stumbles upon the group who welcome her into their group. But one person in particular is interested in this strange woman. Daryl/OC Be nice first attempt at this.
1. Chapter 1

**The End As We Know It**

_I own nothing except my own characters that were created through my own imagination and experiences. This is my first attempt at writing so please be kind and understanding. I thrive on comments and suggestions so If you want something to happen or if I got something wrong feel free to tell me. Just please be kind and understanding is all I ask. "Treat others as you would wish to be treated."_

**Chapter One: Escape to Safety**

_"When the world ends where will you be and what will you do with the life you have be given."-E.B.D_

Silence filled the air, streets were empty and there was no sign of life to be seen anywhere. The city of Atlanta was dead. Proof of this waited for unsuspecting travelers around the next corner. The once empty streets are now filled with the undead shuffling slowly and dumbly waiting for their next meal to appear around the corner or out of an ally. Light, sound, or movement would attract their attention just like it would when they were alive. They could only be killed by a death blow to the head destroying the brain. The only thing that was keeping their bodies moving. You would have to be a fool to enter the dead city and hope to survive or get out without becoming one of the many undead bodies walking the streets.

But one woman did just that she entered the city. But she did not come here blindly she was on a mission. She needed supplies she had a long journey ahead of her through the countryside and she wanted to be prepared. She was like a ghost as she snaked her way through the city streets creeping from store to store gathering everything that would fit in her military small pack that she stole from a dead soldier. So far she had medical supplies, weapons, water, blankets, and a tent all she needed now was to gather some extra food and cloths and she could leave this undead grave yard once and for all.

Snaking her way from corner to corner ally to ally she slowly made her to a small mall. Her compound bow at the ready to shoot anything undead that stood in her way. Thankful the bow never had to be used as she ducked into the store un-noticed by the undead on the street out front. She pushed the hood of her small cape off her head and began to carefully gather supplies keeping an eye and ear out for any undead that might have gotten into the building. She grabbed food and cloths and a few cleaning supplies and some batteries and quickly stuffed it all in her bag and buckled it shut. She heard something move behind her, she wiped around bow drawn and ready to fire eyes alert and blazing with rage. The nose was that of a walker shuffling through the wracks of cloths she had been amongst only a moment ago. Without hesitation she shot it right between the eyes. Once she was sure the thing would not be getting back up she retrieved her arrow and cleaned it off on a cloth in her pocket. She turned on her heel pulling her hood over her head and heading toward the entrance. Seeing the multitude of walkers out front she decided to try the back way out. Drawing her sword she began to carefully snake her way to the back of the building.

Thankfully she made it to the back without a problem only one other undead had stood in her way and she easily dispatched it with her sword. Creeping out the back door she creped down the ally heading toward the main road out of Atlanta. Sadly she was cornered as both exits to the ally were heavily blocked by the undead she would need a distraction and a faster way out. Looking around she found her fast way out, A black Yamaha Ninja sport bike was parked against the far wall. Frisking through the saddle bags on the bike she found the keys. ' What idiot leaves their keys to a bike like this in their SADDLE BAGS! How stupid can people actually be?' She thought as she hopped on the bike and rolled it toward the exit that lead to her way out. Now her distraction, she took the RC car attached to the outside of her bag and put it on the ground, she turned on the remote and slowly drove the car to out to the side walk. The undead did not notice the little red car as it sat there at the entrance to the ally.

Taking a deep breath she turned the key in the ignition and the bike revved to life. Thankfully the bike had a full tank so she didn't have to worry about the bike running out of gas before she got sound of the bike made the undead curious and they began to move toward the ally. Quickly the woman drove the RC car out into the middle of the street catching the undead's attention. She pushed a button the remote and the car began to flash its lights and make noise as the woman sent the car flying down the street and away from the alley. The undead followed the car dumbly thinking that this would be their next meal. Once the way was cleared she turned off the remote, stuffed it back into her bag and rocketed out of the alley the sound of the bike getting the attention of the undead once again. But the bike was far faster then them she flew past them and raced out the of city leaning down to grab the RC car as she flew past and hanging onto it as she flew down the street. The undead tried their hardest to chase after the bike but to no avail. Even with one had the woman skillfully wove through the reaching hands of the undead and in a matter of minutes made it out of the city. Once she was far enough away she stopped and reattached the RC car to the outside of her pack pulling the straps tight before riding on.

She rode for what felt like hours before she saw a path leading off the road up to a ridge of sorts. If she could get up there she could rest take inventory of her supplies and decided where to got from here. She moved the bike towards the dirt path that led to the ridge. When she got to the top however she was not faced with an empty ridge like she had hoped. Instead she sped into a camp of survivors. She brought her bike to a stop and looked around. There was an old RV and several other vehicles as well as at least three families two sets of siblings and a few lone strays with faces that said they had once had friends and families to. This was a large group, a group that looked settled and prepared for the worst. Taking one look at the size of the group she could tell there would be no room for her here. There were already to many mouths to feed here she would be adding one more. Even though she longed to stay and finally be amongst the living things weren't the same anymore. She sighed and began to turn her bike around as a few of the men in the group approached her.

"Hey wait a sec!" one of the men called

The woman looked back to see it was an older man who had a kind face and wore a fishing hat. He walked behind a man wearing a brown t-shirt, black pants, combat boots and 22 necklace; from how he carried himself she guessed this was their leader. Following him was a young Asian boy that looked only a little younger then her, beside him was a large black man and beside him a man that looked Mexican but she could not be sure. She sat back on her bike as the men approached.

"I'm sorry gentleman to trespass on your camp I thought this ridge was empty. I'll be leavin and lookin for somewhere to set up my own camp I mean no harm and will be leaving immediately." she said calmly going back to turning her bike around. Only to be stopped by the older gentleman as he placed a hand on the handlebars of the bike.

" There's no need for ya to leave. We're not goin' to hurt ya." he said gently

By now the rest of the camp had gathered to watch the arrival of this new comer.

" Your all alone and you look kind of lost. It would be kind of cruel to send you away." said the young boy

" You would be surprised how many would disagree with that statement mi amigo." the woman said sadly remember the other groups she had run into in the past who were not so kind.

" Well we don' do tha' roun' here. Your welcome to stay." said the leader of the welcome party.

"I don' want to be a burden to you. It looks like you have your hands full enough round here." she said nodding her head in the direction of the small crowd of people that had gathered to watch what was going on.

"As long as ya pull your weight and don' start no trouble you won' be a burden to none of us." said the leader

" So you'll let me stay?" She asked cautiously not use to being welcomed so easily into a group. She was use to being told to screw off and held at gun point till she left. But people were giving her a chance and welcoming her into their already large group.

" Well I guess I'll stay then if its really not a problem."she said giving a small smile of happiness at finally being around living breathing people again.

" Alright then. How bout you park tha bike of yers and i'll introduce ya ta everyone." said the leader. The men moved out the way so that she could slowly drive her bike over to where the other vehicles were parked. The leader walked up to her still being trailed by the other men.

" I'm Shane, Shane Walsh. This is Dale" He pointed to the older gentleman " This here is Glenn " the young Asian boy " This is T-Dog" the large black man " and this is Morales." The Mexican man. Placing a hand on her shoulder he gently lead her farther into camp and began introducing everyone else.

" The two blond sisters there are Amy and Andrea" the girls smiled and waved " Thats Jim and Jackie" Jim gave a nod and Jackie smiled " Over there is Morales wife and kids, then over there is Ed and his wife and daughter Carol and Sophia." Sophia gave a shy wave while her mother gave a weak smile her husband simply glared at her "Then over there we have Lori and Carl Grimes." he said

The woman looked over and noticed a tent off to the side of the others and saw two men sitting near it looking over with disinterest.

"Who are those two?" she asked pointing to the two men. Shane looked over to who she was pointing at and his smiled faded and he gave a small sigh almost as if he had hoped she wouldn't noticed those two.

" Oh thats Merle and Daryl Dixon ya best not bother with them. Those two is trouble." said Shane dislike clear in his voice judging by the expression on the other mens faces at the mention of the two the were not popular around here.

" There mean, racist and just straight up trouble. If you can avoid them thats what we do if can." said Glenn his good mood disappearing. As she looked over to the brothers they also had looks of distaste on their face as they looked at the group of men.

" Well on that awkward note thank you for the introductions pleasure to meet you all" she said loud enough for all to hear before turning back to Shane.

" So is there a certain spot I have to put my tent or can I just hunker down anywhere?" she asked

Shane smiled his good mood returning again.

" Ya can set up where ever ya like just not to far from where everyone else is alright?" he said with a smile as the other men began to disperse.

" Sure and let me guess if I need anything come talk to you right?" she asked cheerfully Shane chuckled

"Yeah you can come ta me or Dale or anyone else in camp and we'll help ya get settled in here." He said.

The woman smiled and hoisted her pack over her shoulders and grabbed her tent.

" Alright then I am off to set up shop nice meeting you all. Talk to ya later." she said turning to walk away when Dale called to her from the roof of the RV.

" Before you run off Miss might we know what your name is?" he asked playfully. The woman groaned smacked a hand over her face.

"Jeez I am really out of it today. Sorry for not saying my name earlier. But I'm Emma, Emma Decosta." she said with a smile making sure she said it loud enough for everyone to hear. As she pushed back her hood revealing long dark brown hair, olive skin and oddly enough bright pink eyes. She smiled to everyone as she walked away to go pitch her tent.


	2. Setteling In

**Chapter Two: Settling In**

" _A human being cannot live completely alone. Even though we think we can we were designed to desire company and companionship even if it comes to us in the strangest forms."-E.B.D_

_**I am writing as fast as I can think so if this is sounding rushed or lame tell me. If it is going a bit slow also tell me I need to know these things people this is for your enjoyment and my education in the world of writing. I own nothing except my characters.**_

Emma set up her tent slightly away from the rest of the group like the Dixon's but she tried to stay clear of them as well finding what she hoped would be a happy middle ground. Once she was set up she went over to Shane with her pack to hand over her extra supplies as a contribution to the group.

"Hey Shane. Who's in charge of supplies?" she asked taking her pack off her shoulders.

" That would be me." he said turning to her seeing the large pack she placed on the ground at her feet.

" While I was in Atlanta I grabbed some supplies and seeing as I am sticking around with you guys we could use the extra supplies." She said as she began pulling cans of food out of her bag along with the food she pulled out the medical supplies keeping some for herself incase she ever got separated from this new group. Shane and T-Dog looked over the collection of supplies in front of them with joy.

"Well this is mighty kind of ya Emma." he said smiling at her as T- Dog began organizing the food.

" Ya didn' have to do this." he said looking back at the pile of supplies and helping T-Dog organize.

" I am just helpin out where I can." she said helping to clear away the supplies

" Got anything else we could use in that bag of yours?" T-Dog asked with a chuckle Emma smiled.

" Yes I do actually." she said making the two men turn back to her as she began to pull out a large wrapped up bundle that clunked and banged as she moved it.

"Here lets take this outside so you can see it all properly." she said taking the large bundle outside. Shane and T-Dog scurried after her wondering what was in the bundle, by the length of the bundle the two men guessed guns but they were very wrong. Emma laid the bundle gently on the ground and unrolled it with a flourish revealing a large selection of knives, swords and daggers.

"Jesus girl! Sure you got 'nough weapons there?!" T-Dog asked in shock at the number of weapons the ground before him.

" Damn girl you got enough weapons here for everyone in this camp!" Shane exclaimed bending down to pick up a mean looking dagger.

" Actually there is enough here for everyone to have at least two weapons. Do you want me to hand them out to people?" Emma asked not sure what to do.

" Not right this here second but I do think it would be a good idea for everyone to have one of these on them." Shane said looking over the collection. Emma picked up a set of six matching knives.

" These little ones would be good for the young ones to have their small light and easy to use. I don't like the idea of giving them these things but if the worst should happen it help me sleep at night knowing they had them." Emma said holding out the set to Shane to examine. Shane looked over the blades taking each one out and turning them over in his hands.

" I agree with ya that it be good for them to have these but ya would have ta talk to their parents about it. But I do agree with you." he said handing the set back to her.

" How about this, why don't all your men folk take your pick of whats here now and then later ya can talk to the rest of the group about it and who ever wants one can have one." Emma said as she put the set of knives off to the side as a reminder to get the parents together and talk to them about giving the children knives.

Shane turned to T-Dog as if to ask 'What do you think?' T-Dog shrugged his shoulders.

" Sounds like a good idea to me." He said picking up a pair of matching daggers.

"Man where did you even get these." He asked as he picked up another dagger to inspect it while Shane looked at one the swords.

" I found this little shop that sold all sorts of weird things. Incense, sand gardens, herbs, spices, magical stones and books. It was a really weird store so while I was takin some of the herbs and spices that I could be useful later on I noticed that there was a backroom to the store and in the back were all these swords daggers knives even battle axes. I wanted to take the axes but they were to big and heavy to fit in my bag so sadly i had to leave them." she said explained watching as the other men folk in the camp came over to see what Shane and T- Dog were looking at. Glenn's eyes light up at the sight of the weapons, Emma couldn't help but smile he looked like a kid at Christmas who just got that toy he always wanted. Unfortunately this also caught the attention of the Dixon brothers.

"What's goin on here?" asked Merle as Daryl trailed behind him, his crossbow slung over his shoulder. The other men stood up slowly their new weapons in hand.

"Just lookin o'er some extra weapons Emma brought with her that she found in Atlanta." Shane said calmly. Merle laughed while Daryl remained silent but his curiosity spiked at the mention of extra weapons.

" Well lets have a look at these extra weapons." said Merle as he shouldered passed Shane and bent down to look and at Emma's collection. Before Merle or Daryl could touch or comment on the sight before them two daggers with shoved into their hands.

" These daggers were made for brothers they are a part of set. These are the daggers." she said befoer reaching over and picking up two short swords.

" These are the matching pieces to those daggers." she said as the brothers took the weapons she shoved into their hands Daryl looked down at the matching dagger and sword in his hands the hilts were carved into the shape of a roaring Panther and engraved on the blade of both weapons was a Panther its mouth open in a roar and its claws ready to kill. Merles were just like his except instead a Panther he had a lion. Merle didn't argue with the girl over the weapons in his hands he liked him and he wasn't much into knives. So with a chuckle he walked off to go and further admire his new weapons. Daryl was in love with the weapons in his hands they were good quality and they were deadly two things Daryl wanted in a weapon. He looked down at the girl and gave her a nod of thanks before turning to head back to his tent.

"Hey Daryl wait a sec." Emma called pulling something else out of her bag. Daryl turned just in time to catch the object she tossed to him. It was a quiver of crossbow bolts. When he looked up she was standing in front of him.

"Consider this a peace treaty between me and ya and your brother I won't bother you if you don't bother me. Deal?" she held out her hand Daryl looked at her hand then back to her face. He shook her and gave her a nod.

"Deal." he muttered

" Good." she said they both turned and walked away from each other.

Dale had watched the exchange from the roof and little more then a simple peace treaty was passed between the two. Understanding and respect had also been passed here and if he was right he could have sworn he saw a connection between the two when they shook hands. But then again he could be wrong. 'Probably the heat going to my head.' he thought and watched as Emma cleared away the weapons and went over to Lori to help out with the laundry. Dale smiled as the two women talked and got to know one another. 'She'll fit in here just fine.' Dale thought as he took up his binoculars again and continued his watch.

Emma walked over to Lori as she finished tucking the weapons back into her tent.

"Hey Lori right?" Emma asked making sure she got the woman's name right. Lori chuckled as she continued to hang cloths on the line.

" Yep thats me. How can I help ya hun?" she asked with a smile.

"Do you want some help?" Emma asked as she pick up a shirt and hung it on the line.

" Sure thanks Emma." she said smiling as the girl simply smiled back and continued to hang up cloths from the basket.

" So where ya from Emma?" Lori asked trying to get to know this strange knew girl.

" Do ya mean where was I born or where did I live before the world went up in flames. I have lived and grown up in a lot of places." Emma said with a slight note of bitterness in her voice at the choice of topic.

" Where were you born?" Lori asked narrowing down her question.

" Well I was Canadian born, California raise through elementary school, South American raised through high school and finally settled in Northern in Georgia for university and lived out a shitty life there with my dumbass dad and brother. I learned martial arts, sword fighting and moved back to Canada a month before the world went ta hell. When I first heard about these weird stories I took off runnin back to Georgia to find my brother and my best friend. I got back in time to find them and watch the world go up in smoke. The three of us fled never lookin back we just ran. But not to long ago we got split up and now I have been travelin alone hopin that I will run into them on the road. I"m just glad to be back around people again, good people." she said before going quiet and continuing her work in silence.

Lori was surprised by the girls response not expecting to hear that. They worked in silence for a while until the basket was empty. Emma went to walk away to find something else to do when she felt a hand on her shoulder it was Lori.

" What did you do before all this?" Lori asked curiosity shining in her eyes.

" I was a teacher for the deaf and the blind and on weekends I taught kids martial arts. Why?" Emma asked confused by the random question.

"Just curious." Lori said before she turned to walk away. Emma shrugged and walked over to Morales who was building a wall around the fire pit.

For the rest of the day she jumped from job to job helping however needed the help. When the sun began to set some of the women began to cook dinner which was fresh from the woods thanks to Daryl.


	3. Dinner and a Story

**Chapter Three: Dinner and a Story **

" _We all have scars from our pasts but we should not be ashamed of them. They are the marks of battles that were both bloody and dark but they are the medals of all the battles we won and lived to tell to our children."-E.B.D_

_**This chapter is a short one due to I wanted to focus just on Emma's back story in this one. The next chapter we will see more of Daryl and the oh so charming Merle and maybe we might head into Atlanta to collect Rick and maybe run into knows? You could help, comments, suggestions I can't write this alone people so message me drop me a line something. I own nothing except my own characters I swear to God. GO ME! THREE CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY!**_

As darkness fell everyone gathered around the fire for dinner except Carol's family who sat at their own fire away from the others same with the Dixon brother but they all stayed within ear shot. Everyone talked and laughed enjoying their meal until there was a lull in the conversation. Emma was enjoying the quiet until Dale's voice broke it.

" So Emma whats your story?" he asked snapping Emma out of thoughts.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused by the question.

"Where are you from what did you do before all this. Ya know whats your story?" he asked again explaining his question this time.

" Oh um ... I don't know where to start." she said awkwardly not enjoying how Dale put her on the spot. Dale smiled at her awkwardness.

" You were born, came home from the hospital,then what?" he offered giving her a starting point.

" Well I was born in Alberta Canada. Coldest darn place I have ever lived. I don' remember much except the really cold winters. I have an older brother Frank hes five years older then me sweet guy until you piss him off then he ain't so nice. We moved to California when I was about 4 or 5 and I lived there all through elementary school. When I graduated grade 8 my mom got really sick so she wanted to take me to South America before she died so me mom and my grandmother went there and I lived there through high school. My grandmother died there like she wanted leaving me and mom to return to California only for my mom to die a month later. After that my dad dragged me and my brother to Northern Georgia where I went to university to become a teacher for the deaf and blind, I also my best friend Evan. I also continued my martial arts training that I had picked up in South America I also picked up sword fighting when I got back and also continued it through university. During my first year in university my dad started drinking away his sarrows and using me as his punching bag. He quickly figured out that was not to take any of BS so I started using what I learn in martial arts to put him back in line. I finished university and took off back to Canada to work. I wasn't there long before I started hearing crazy stories about the dead rising and eating the living. So I booked it back here found Frank and Evan and we ran. We made it to Atlanta where we got separated. I have been looking for them ever since hoping I will run into them somewhere. During my search I have come across five other groups of survivors all of which have put a gun to my head and told to get lost. So I headed back into Atlanta to gather supplies and look for my brothers one more time. I didn't find them so I figured that they got out. So I spent weeks gathering supplies and creeping around Atlanta gathering supplies and trying not to get eaten or bit or scratched. I found that RC car and started using it as a distraction, I never thought I would see the day where a little toy car would save my life more times then I can count. Its the only reason I got out of Atlanta. So I stole that lovely bike over there and put my past behind me and never looked back." she looked up as she finished her story. Everyone was silent just staring at her. She shifted uncomfortably under their stares.

"For God sakes will someone say something!" she snapped catching everyone off guard. The were many mumbled apologies from the group.

" Its fine its just they way ya'll was starin at me made me feel kind of like a freak or something." she said quietly she said standing up and stretching.

"Well I think i am going to turn in for the night." she said as she turned to make a hasty retreat before anyone could ask her any questions.

" Hey just one question before you run off. Why are your eyes pink?"Morales asked finally asking the question that had been bugging everyone since she arrived. ' Yes, finally one of them worked up the balls to ask her. Now explain yourself woman.' Daryl thought as he listened to the conversation.

" There contacts I have had them since university. I liked the colour so I kept them and never changed them. Got tired of my real eye colour reminded me to much of my dad so I changed it and this si how they are going to stay." she said before turning to leave again.

"Thanks for sharing your story." Glenn said with a weak smile.

"No problem. Night all." she said and headed toward her tent. She crawled under her blankets and started at the ceiling of her tent.

"_I'm safe up high , nothing can touch me, but why do I feel this parties over, no pain inside, your my protection, but how do I feel this good sober." _she sang quietly into the darkness before rolling over and drifting off into a troubled sleep .


	4. Neighbours and A Run Into Atlanta

**Chapter Four: Neighbors and a Run into Atlanta**

"_There is nothing stronger then the love between two brothers but no amount of love can make two brothers will defend each other till death but even death can not make them agree." -E.B.D_

"_No light, no light, in your bright blue eyes, I never knew daylight could be so violent, revelation in the light of day." No Light No Light -Florence and The Machine_

_I own nothing except my characters that I created from the depth of my twisted imagination. Please comment if you are reading my story. I know you are so please leave a comment I really want to know what you guys think of my story and if you have any suggestions about what you want to happen in this story. Please comment I will give cooks to everyone who comments._

The next morning Emma was up early, the camp was quiet, Shane was up on the roof of the RV finishing up his watch before he would hand it off to Dale again. Emma breathed in the morning air and stretched enjoying the peace and quiet until it was broken by someone chuckling near by. Emma turned to see who it was chuckling to come face to face with Merle standing there smirking with his arms crossed staring at her. His eyes traveling over her body making her glare at him.

"Mornin' missy. Whatchya doin up this early?" he asked still eyeing her up and down making her fists clench and unclench.

" I always wake up early Merle. Its a habit, I would be getting up and getting ready to go to work at this hour." she said calmly trying to resist the urge to punch that smirk off of his face. He chuckled again.

"What did ya use ta do that had ya gettin up at this fucked up hour?" he asked moving closer immediately putting Emma on edge.

"Not that its any business of yours but I use to be a teacher." she said watching as the man came closer and closer to her making her take a small step back trying to keep a gap between them.

" Pretty gal like ya shouldn't be wastin her time with little brats. Should be out doin somethin else with a face like this." he said coming uncomfortably close.

" Yes I'm sure by that you mean strippin or somethin well I liked "wasting my time with little brats" thank you." she snarled fists clenched as she took another step back from him trying to put some space in between them again.

On the roof of the RV Shane watched the two talk, he stood up ready to come to the new girls aid if Merle tried anything. Over at the Dixon's tent Daryl could hear his brother talking to someone. He laid their listening trying to see if he could guess who his brother was talking to. Sure enough hearing the other persons voice he knew right away it was the new girl. It sounded like Merle was slowly pissing her off, sighing Daryl dragged himself to his feet. ' So much for gettin some extra sleep. Thanks a fucking lot Merle.' Daryl thought angrily as he walked out the tent to make sure his brother didn't do anything stupid only to see Deputy Dumbass on the roof of the RV watching the whole thing ready to play hero. Daryl rolled his eyes at the man before turning to look at his brother. He was right in Emma's face which was pissing the girl off never mind what he was saying. Daryl was about to go back in the tent and leave the two to deal with whatever they were talking about when he saw the quiver of bolts that she had given him and the deal he had made. '_I don't bother ya and your brother I don't bother you. Deal? Deal.' _He sighed and turned back to the two as he heard an angry snarl come from the girl as Merle continued to talk.

"No need to get all touchy darlin' just chattin here. Nothing to get all angry about." he said advancing on her still.

" Cause I don't want to chat with ya right now." she snapped her knuckles cracking turning white from how tight she was clenching her fists.

" Aw well now why don't ya want ta talk ta your good ol' friend Merle?" he said as he closed the gap between them.

"Well let me be cruelly honest I don't like ya and I really don't like how fucking close ya are to me right now. So if ya could just take several steps back we'll get along just fine." she snarled her pink eyes turning almost red with rage. Daryl saw the look in her eyes and started to walk forward as Shane came down off the roof of the RV also moving closer to the pair.

" Now why would I do that?" Merle asked moving even closer and putting a hand on her waist pulling her close. That was the last straw for Emma faster then both Shane and Daryl could comprehend Emma shoved Merle away and slammed her fist into his face so hard the redneck fell back. Emma slammed her boot down on his chest and knelt and grabbed Merles shirt so she could look into his eyes her boot still firmly planted on his chest.

" Lets come to an understanding right now Merle. I don't like ya at all you understand me? I don't want to hear any of your bullshit so lets get something straight right now. Ya speak to me again or touch me again I will do more then just punch ya in the face next time. Got it? Next time I will beat your face in so hard ya won't have a face left got it?" she snarled Merle spat in her face earning him the back of Emma's hand to his face.

" Ya really are that stupid huh? Fine then jackass get this through that thick fucking head of yours; bother me again and I will give you a worse beating next time." she snapped shoving Merle into the dirt.

" Fuck man your brother is smart enough to leave alone whats your fucking problem?" she growled wiping the blood and spit from her face as Merle got to his feet. The redneck charge at her about to hit her in the back of head only to have her turn around and punch him in the stomach, chest and face before sending a front kick into his stomach sending him to the ground again.

" Back off Dixon! Fighting me will only get your ass kicked from one end of this camp to the other!" she shouted at the man on the ground as he groaned and struggled to his feet. Emma glared at him with eyes that could have killed him on the spot if they could.

Shane looked on in shock at what he just saw as well as the rest of camp that was now awake. Everyone had just watched Merle Dixon get his ass kicked by a woman half his size and weight. No one knew how to react to what they had just seen. All except Daryl, sure his brother was being a dick but no way was he going to stand by and let some woman kick the crap out of his brother.

" Hey bitch don'tchya fuckin touch my brother." he snarled going to shove her back but in one smooth movment she dodged his hand grabbed his arm and twisted sending Daryl to his knees as pain laced through his arm into his shoulder and down his back.

"I told ya not to bother me this is what happens when ya do. I don't want trouble so ya will either keep your brother on a fucking leash or he is going to get his ass kicked by me. Got it?" she growled

"Ya fucking touch my brother again I'll kick your ass!" Daryl snapped wincing in pain as she twisted his arm further.

"I asked ya nicely to leave me alone now I am asking ya again to get your brother to leave me alone. I don't have a problem with ya just him. So you keep him away from me and I won't have to kick his ass and we'll all get alone just fine ok?" she hissed staring down into his steel blue eyes. He gave a nod of understanding.

"Good." she snapped before untwisting his arm and pulling him to his feet and spinning him around so his arm was straight again her hand still held tightly in his.

"I'll hold you to your word. Keep him away from me and we will have no more trouble between us. Got it?" she said again calmer this time.

" Yeah, I got it." he said as he stared her down blue clashing with pink. In a silent battle of wills. With neither winning they dropped their hands.

"Good."she said

"Good." he said and turned to his brother helping him to his feet.

" Stupid bitch." they snarled at her. Emma simply glared.

"Dumbass rednecks." she snarled back before turning and walking toward her tent and coming back out with her bow and sword and all her knives strapped to her. She walked up to Shane who was still standing there in shock with everyone else as she walked up to him.

"I'm going hunting I'll be back before nightfall." she said turning to head towards the woods making Shane snap out of it.

"Hold up if your goin alone take this." he handed her a small hand gun.

" I don't need that." she said looking at the gun he held out to her.

" I know this is just if ya get in trouble. Fire this once and we'll come find ya and get ya out of there ok? Ya know how to use it?" he asked as she took the gun from his hand.

" Yes I know how to use it. I know how to use just about any weapon from guns to knives to bows." she turned the gun over in her hand inspecting it.

" 9 mm nice gun." she said tucking it into her belt.

" It is a nice piece. Just remember one shot thats all ok?" he said

"One shot got it. I'll be back soon." she said turning away to march into the woods. Daryl looked up at her as she marched past.

"Where the fuck ya goin?" he snapped but he didn't get an answer she walked straight past him and into the woods. 'Fucking bitch gonna get herself killed!' he thought as he grabbed his crossbow and extra bolts and marched after her.

"Hey! I'm talkin ta ya! Where the hell ya goin?" he asked again as she continued to ignore him.

" Answer me woman!" he snarled as she disappeared behind a bush. He raced around the bush to grab her and make her stop only to find the path in front of him empty. He looked around him remembering how fast she moved only moments earlier only to turn around just in time to see a pair of boots come swing down and slam into his chest knocking the wind out of him and sending him to the ground. Emma dropped down from the branch above her feet landing on either side of his body her hand firmly planted on his chest keeping him down.

"Why are you following me!?" she snapped her pink eyes staring into his blue ones trying to figure out what he was playing at.

"Where the hell are ya goin woman was all I wanted the hell to know." he said glaring up at her.

"I'm going huntin there happy now?" she asked standing up and helping him to his feet.

"Yeah and I..." he trailed off rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

" And ya what?" she asked crossing her arms waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"I'm sorry bout what my brother did ta ya." he said quietly not looking at her.

Emma was caught off guard by the apology seeing as Daryl didn't seem like the type to apologize for anything. But here he was apologizing for his brothers behaviour. Emma didn't know how to respond at first, she knew from the first time she saw the Dixon brothers that Daryl did not see eye to eye with his older brother but would always defend him either way. Yet here he was apologizing for his brothers shitty behaviour.

She smiled and nodded.

"Apology accepted. It should be your brother apologizing but thats asking for to much. But thanks anyway." she said before turning and heading deeper into the forest.

"Hey!" Daryl called making Emma turn around.

"You goin alone?" he asked. Making Emma smirk and look around.

"Ya see anyone else with me?" she asked

" Ya shouldn't be out here on your own. Do ya even know how to hunt?" he asked

"I'm no pro but yeah I know how to hunt. I'd be dead by now if I didn't" she said with a chuckle. Daryl nodded before walking towards her.

"I'll come with ya."he said

" Ya don't have to." she said continuing to walk deeper into the woods.

"Someones gotta make sure ya don't get yourself killed." he said walking beside her crossbow at the ready.

"Thanks." she said loading an arrow into her bow. They walked in silence for a while before Daryl finally broke the silence.

" What did ya mean ya got no problem with me just my brother?" he asked the question finally bugging him enough to ask it.

" I just don't have a problem with ya. I can see that sure you can be a prick like your brother but your not as bad as he is so I don't have a problem with ya." she said as she stopped and took aim at a rabbit she spotted. Daryl didn't say anything as he spotted a squirrel and took aim. They both fired at the same time killing their targets. They walked away from each other going to collect their kills and their arrows. They both tied their kills to a string and slung it over their shoulders. They continued their hunt in silence not even realizing they had done the same things at the same time. Maybe Dale was right about that connection after all.

Four rabbits and eight squirrels later the two returned to camp and handed off their kills to the women in charge of cooking tonight. Daryl went back over to his brother as Emma went over to see what was going on near the RV. Shane and some of the other men were discussing a supply run and who would be going.

"Take Merle with ya get him outta here before Emma kills him. Not that thats a bad thing but I don't need anymore fightin between those two." Shane told the men gathered around him.

"Yes please do take him with you hopefully the idiot gets eaten and we don't have to see his ugly face again." Emma said making the men jump. She smiled and T-Dog and Glenn smiled at her comment.

" I like this girl shes got the right idea." said Morales as he walked over with Andrea who would be going with them. Emma moved away as the group began to head into the city Emma walked up to Glenn as he headed toward the van they would be taking into the city.

"You be careful out there Glenn keep to the allies if you can ok." she advised Glenn nodded

"I'll be fine don't worry about me." he said patting her shoulder.

"Hey Glenn if you run into these two could ya make sure they come back here?" she asked handing Glenn a small picture. Glenn looked at the picture, it was a picture of Emma, her brother and her best friend Evan they were smiling, her brother had his arms wrapped around her waist and his head pressed against the side of her head as Even leaned on Franks shoulder and smiled at the camera as Emma rested her head against Evans chest. Glenn smiled at the picture and carefully placed it in his back pocket.

"Thats a nice picture of you three." he said with a smile.

"Yeah that was the last picture taken of us before I left for Canada. I miss them. Please bring them back with you if you find them."she pleaded,Glenn smiled and hugged her.

"Of course I will don't worry." he said reassuringly

"Thanks Glenn." she said and gave him a gentle shove toward the van where Merle and the others were waiting.

"Get goin you don't want to be left behind now." she said as she waved him away. He waved to her as he hurried toward the van. She turned around and headed up the ladder to the roof of the RV to sit with Dale.

"Do you think they will be ok?" Emma asked staring after the disappearing van.

"They will be fine don't ya worry." Dale said giving her shoulder a gentle pat before returning to his watch. Emma climbed down the ladder and went to help out around camp with whatever chores needed to be done.


	5. A Hunting Trip and a Friend Found

**Chapter Five: A Hunting Trip and Friend Found **

_I own nothing except my characters that were created from my own imagination._

_Do to a broken leg and fractured wrist I have been locked up in a hospital for a while so I have not been able to update. So just because I couldn't post I made this chapter nice and long I will try and get the next chapter up soon I just need to put some finishing touches on it and it will be and ready to read. _

_I also admit that I am human and have made several spelling and grammatical errors some I noticed and fixed others I might have missed so if anyone wants to edit or beta my story please feel free to PM me I could use a second opinion on my work. Thank you and I hope you enjoy this next chapter._

"_I'll find you somewhere, I'll keep on tryin', until my dieing day, I just need to know, That whatever has happened, The truth will free my soul."-Within Temptation Somewhere_

Emma wondered around camp asking everyone if they needed a hand with anything. When everyone told her that they were fine she headed back to her tent to collect her knives and bow. Once all her weapons were strapped on she walked out into the sunlight. She walked over to Dale on the roof of the RV, once again keeping watch for any walkers that might find their up here.

"Hey Dale." Emma called up to the look out

" Oh hey there Emma what can I do for ya?" he asked looking over the edge of the roof.

"Just lettin you know I am going hunting ok?" she said

" Alright, you got a gun in case ya run into trouble out there?" he asked sounding like a father fussing over his daughter; it made Emma smile at his concern.

"Yeah I got a gun and I am to fire only one shot and ya'll come runnin'." she said with a smile.

"Thats right. I don't like ya going by yourself but I know you can handle yourself. Just be careful alright? And be back before nightfall." he said in a fatherly tone once again making Emma smile.

" I'll try but I might be gone a few days probably the rest of today and be back tomorrow afternoon 'round there. Ok?" she said

Dale didn't look pleased about the amount of time she would be gone but she was trying to help out around here so he wasn't going to argue with her. He knew she would fine but he couldn't help but worry. He sighed.

"Alright but if you are not back by tomorrow afternoon I am going to come looking for you and drag you back here myself alright?" he said making Emma smile and laugh.

"Yes dad I understand and I will be back by tomorrow afternoon." she said with a smile.

Dale nodded before turning back to his post and keeping an eye out for walkers as Emma walked away. But Emma was not the only one who was going hunting. Daryl had planned to go hunting today as well and seeing as Emma and Merle had woken up the whole camp early with their fighting he was going to get an early start just like everyone else had.

As Daryl came out of his tent crossbow and extra bolts over his shoulder he saw Emma disappearing into the forest as well, armed with her bow and knives. '_Where the hell does she think she's goin'?' _Daryl thought hurrying after her as she moved further into the trees. As he carefully trudged through the bushes, crossbow at the ready, worry began to set in as the farther he went into the bushes he did not find the pink eyed spitfire. He was about ready to call out her name when an arrow whizzed past his head and impaled itself through a rabbit that had been hiding in a bush only a few feet from him. He looked at the red and blue feathers of the arrow and then back to where it had come from to see Emma appear from behind a tree. She was wearing green cad-pad pants over her black knee high boots, with a black tank-top and her ever present black fingerless gloves that went all the way up to her elbows. A navy blue bandana was wrapped around her head to keep her hair out of her face.

"Hello Daryl."she said sweetly as she silently stepped past him collected her kill and tied it to a thick string that she slung over her shoulder and reloaded the arrow into the bow.

"Come to join me on a little hunt have you?" she asked slowly slinking away from him on silent feet.

"No I came out here to hunt." he snapped angry at the loss of his quiet hunting trip so he could be alone with his thoughts. Emma simply shrugged and took aim at her next target.

"Suit yourself." she said letting her arrow fly as it hit home in another rabbit. Daryl simple grunted before taking out a squirrel as it scurried by.

Emma didn't say another word as the two continued their hunt much to Daryl's surprise he thought she was going to talk his ear off about pointless shit he didn't care about. But she remained silent and continued to hunt like he wasn't there. After following her for what felt like at least two or three hours in silence, both of them picking off the wildlife around them with ease, Daryl decided to break the silence and get a better understanding of this girl that always seemed to end up near him.

"Why ya always wearin those damn boots?" he asked honestly curious why she hadn't ditched them and found something better fit for traveling.

" These are my favourite boots. They have gotten me through a lot and they are the most comfortable pair of boots I have for traveling so when the world went to hell I took them with me." she said setting her sights on her fifth rabbit of the day. Daryl gave a grunt as he collected another squirrel; the boots didn't look all that comfortable but she said they were but then again what did he care he wasn't wearing them.

" Why ya always wearin those gloves?" he asked as he fired at another squirrel. Emma tensed and was silent for a minute Daryl looked over waiting for an answer. He watched the expression on her face go from relaxed and content to dark, sad and angry.

"Thats none of your damn business." she snapped "Not like YOU would care anyway." she muttered hoping he didn't hear but he did he chose not to respond instead he moved to another question.

"Why don't ya ever take those contacts out of your eyes? Whats so bad bout your really eye colour?" he asked and by how she tensed again this was another touchy topic but at least this time he got an answer.

"I originally started wearing them for fun and just to be different in high school. But I liked them so I kept them and then after my mom died and my dad turned into an ass I hated looking in the mirror and seeing his eyes every time I looked at myself so I put the pink back in and I haven't taken them out since. That and they are just really cool."she said as she crept through the bushes on near silent feet keeping an eye out for another rabbit or some bigger game like a deer. As she looked around the forest she remembered how easy it was to find a deer in a forest back in Canada but out here it was not so easy.

Daryl went quiet as he took aim at another squirrel while he thought of another question for the girl beside him crouching in the bushes. He was stuck with her for this whole trip so he might as well take this time to learn more about her. But as he went to open his mouth to ask another question he stopped. '_Why the Hell do I want to know her better? She ain't important or nothin!' _ he thought to himself not really understanding the urge to ask her all these questions about herself. He watched her slowly move through the bushes trying to answer his own question. As he looked at her he started to understand a little bit why he had so many questions about her. She was a strange person; she gave off an air of mystery. Her pink eyes, the black gloves she never took off, her collection of weapons, her missing brother and friend and her story about her life. She might have told everyone about all these things but it felt like she was still hiding something. Like there was some secret she was still trying to hide even though the world was over and secrets didn't matter anymore. But her refusal to talk about the gloves was making Daryl curious and her story about her life before this seemed a little to vague for Daryl. He had an army of questions for her but he kept quiet. She would open up sometime and Daryl would probably get all his answers then.

Emma stalked through the bush as quietly as possible looking for anything that could be killed and eaten for food. She was keeping a sharp eye out for anything bigger then rabbits and squirrels but no such luck so far. Daryl had gone quiet behind her which didn't bother Emma he was a quiet person, a keep to himself, kind of guy which Emma had no complaints about. If he wanted to talk she would be here to listen and talk back. She crouched down behind a bush as she heard a slight rustle farther off in the forest. Emma readied her bow prepared for a rabbit or a squirrel or at the worst a walker. But instead it wasn't any of these things it was a deer. Emma smiled with joy as a decent meal decided to finally appear out of the bushes.

"Daryl!"she whispered and gestured for him to come join her. Daryl hustled over to see what she was all smiles about. He could see why she was smiling when he saw she had her sights on a deer. He crouched down with her in the bushes and readied his crossbow. They both had arrows trained on the animal so if one of them didn't kill it the other probably would.

This would be one of the rare moments when the two would work together and that was only because the had the same goal in mind. Goal of the day: Dinner. The deer grazed blissfully unaware of the two hunters several feet away in the bushes with arrows trained on it. The deer was facing them so the two made no move to shoot it for fear it would see them and take off. So they both waited for the deer to turn its back to them. They did have to wait long; the deer slowly nibbled its way to a bigger patch of grass turning its back on the hunters. Emma and Daryl saw their chance and both stood up and let loose their arrows. The arrows whipped through the air and hit their target sadly not killing the creature. Daryl's bolt hit the animals flank while Emma's arrow hit the deer's shoulder. The deer took off with Emma and Daryl hot on it heels Emma took out another arrow and fired again mid run only to hit the deer's flank. She gave a snarl of frustration and continued to dart after the animal. But the deer was smarter it darted in another direction and disappeared into the brush.

"Damn deer!" Emma snarled she placed the third arrow she had pulled from her quiver back with the others and began following the tracks the deer had left in its haste to get away. Daryl chuckled at Emma's frustration finding it funny to watch her stomp through the bushes after the deer. Daryl wasn't going to lie he was pissed off and frustrated too but he couldn't help but find amusement in the girls frustration. He moved in front of her and followed the deer's trail. They followed the trail for a while until the sun began to set and it got harder and harder to follow the creatures trail. So the two were stuck camping out in the forest for the night. When the sun completely set Emma placed her kills beside her and hid them under a pile of leaves and sticks and branches to cover any smell they might create during the night. She undid her quiver of arrows and sword and placed them also beside her before she laid down on the grass and stared up at the stars that peaked through the trees. Daryl did the same thing and laid down the ground only a few feet away letting himself relax for a minute.

"I'll take first watch." he said as he stared up at the sky.

"OK wake me when its my turn to take over." she said still staring at the stars.

The two said nothing more, Daryl sat up and began fussing with his crossbow and bolts. Emma slowly dozed off as she listened to the sounds of the forest around her and it wasn't long before she was fast asleep. Daryl looked over at the sleeping woman as she slept bathed in the light of the moon above. The moonlight made her skin glow and she looked so much younger in the pale blue light. The cares and worries of the world were gone from her face and shoulders. She was relaxed and calm for the first time since she arrived. Daryl looked at her now and saw a completely different woman to the one he had been hunting with earlier in the day. The woman laying in the moonlight before him was young and innocent and nothing like the warrior that had kicked his brothers ass the day before. In sleep he could see that there was a softer side to this woman that she would never show during her waking hours.

Daryl woke Emma up a few hours later to take over watch so he could get some sleep before they continued their hunt in the morning. She sat up strapped on her quiver and sword and sat there on the grass, listening and staring out into the dark, looking and listening for any movement or sound that did not belong to an animal, or was not caused by the wind. Daryl lay down on the ground and quickly fell into a restless sleep. He could not understand how Emma could completely relax and sleep peacefully out here with the thought that at any moment a walker could appear out of the pushes to attack them. But somehow she managed it and he was determined to get some sleep.

Daryl was woken the next morning by a gentle hand shaking him awake and a voice calling his name.

"Daryl wake up." said Emma giving him a final shake that got him up this time.

" Its time to get movin'. We got a deer to catch." she said holding out his crossbow and bolts to him as he stood up. He took his weapons from her and they picked up the trail of the deer again following its tracks through the bushes. The deer had veered off heading towards their camp a fact that made Daryl happy; he would be happy for the short walk back to camp rather then a long one. Emma found the deer first and again the pair both took shots at it except this time Emma hit it in the ribs. The creature darted away but much slower this time and it stumbled and breathed heavily as it fled it did not have long to live. They followed the deer as it continued towards their camp, they took their time now seeing as they knew this time the creature would not escape for good. Emma heard the echoes of what she thought was a scream but it was to faint to be sure so she kept walking. Emma heard men talking talking as they came through the bushes towards their prize. The voices stopped as Daryl and Emma trudged forward through the brush.

Daryl stopped for a moment and Emma looked over his shoulder to see Shane pointing a shotgun at him. Shane lowered the gun with a look of relief and irritation. Daryl ignored the deputy and headed over to the now desecrated deer.

"Son of a bitch! That's my deer!" he shouted trudging forward out the bush

" All that fuckin' work for nothing." Emma grumbled right behind him equally pissed off and irritated.

The other men back up as Daryl stepped into the clearing to inspect the damage.

"Look at it. All gnawed on by this filthy " kick " disease barin'" kick "motherless" kick "poxy bastard!" Daryl snarled as Emma crouched down close to the animal pulling out her arrows and using the end of one to poke and move around the ravaged meat of the deer in a vain hope to see if there was any way to salvage the remaining untouched meat.

"Calm down son, that's not helpin." Dale said calmly setting off the short tempered Dixon brother.

"Bad choice of words Dale." Emma muttered loud enough for the man to heard but quiet enough so that the enraged Dixon brother wouldn't start yelling at her.

"What do you know about it old man?! You take that stupid hat and go back ta On The Golden Pond." he snapped at the old man who was unfazed by the young mans outburst obviously use to it by now.

Emma stood up shaking her head at the lose of a good meal and came over to stand by Daryl who was running on a shorter then usual fuse today. She handed him his bolts as he came to inspect the deer again he took the bolts from her before he spoke again.

"We've been tracking this deer for miles. Drag it back to camp cook us up some venison. What do ya think we can cut 'round this chewed up part right here?" he asked the person closest to him which happened to be Shane.

" I wouldn' risk that" said Shane

" Well that's just great." Emma grumbled Shane gave her a sympathetic look he wouldn't have minded deer for dinner but there was no way he was going to risk eating the deer now.

"Well that's a damn shame. I got us some squirrel about a dozen or so and Emma has got us about a dozen rabbit that'll have to do." said Daryl adjusting the string of squirrels on his shoulder before going to walk away back to camp. Just as he was about to move past it the walkers severed head sprung to life; its eyes open and its mouth trying to bite at the people around it. This made Amy just about throw up before she was lead away by her sister Andrea. This left Emma and the other men to deal with the head.

"Come on people what the hell." Daryl said as shot the head in the brain with his crossbow seeing as none of the other men made a move to deal with the head. "Gotta be the brain, don'tchya all know nothin? " he said retrieving his bolt and gesturing for Emma to follow him back to camp she followed him kicking the now lifeless head out of her way as she walked by. The two headed back to camp the rest of the men trailing behind them. As they entered camp Daryl called out for his brother.

"Merle!" no answer "Merle!" still no answer "Get your ass out here! Got us some squirrel and some rabbit! Lets do 'em up!" he called putting his crossbow done near the fire pit and taking the string of rabbits from Emma before marching towards his and Merles corner of the camp.

" Hey Daryl slow up a bit, I need to talk to ya." called Shane stopping the younger Dixon brother in his tracks. Emma could tell by the tone in his voice that something was up and by the fact Merle did not respond when Daryl called for him when it was obvious the Atlanta run had returned with one man short. Emma took the kills off of Daryl's shoulder and placed them carefully on a log before coming back to stand near the younger Dixon brother in case things turned nasty which was really easy to do with Daryl. Shane walked over to Daryl and hung his head a bit and spoke in a quiet voice trying to keep the conversation private from the other people in camp.

"About what?" Daryl questioned as the deputy came closer to him.

"About Merle. There was a ... a problem in Atlanta." Shane said already dreading the young mans reaction. The others gathered around looking sad and quiet and on edge Daryl looked around him at the others expressions and based this "problem" off of that.

"Is he dead?" he asked sadly not really wanting to hear Shane say yes.

"Not sure." Shane said sadly. This set off Daryl's short fuse once again making Emma take a step closer to the younger Dixon who slowly began to pace around Shane.

"He either is or he ain't!" Daryl snapped not liking Shane's answer.

"There's no easy way to say this so I'll just say it." said Rick coming to Shane's defense upon seeing Daryl's reaction.

"Who are you?" Daryl asked confused and still pissed off that no one had given him a solid answer yet about what happened to his brother.

"Rick Grimes." Rick responded trying to stay calm so as not to set Daryl off anymore.

"Rick Grimes. Ya got somethin you want ta tell me?' Daryl shouted getting more pissed off.

"Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him to a roof, hooked to a piece of metal. He's still there." Rick said calmly seeing Daryl's anger rising the more he talked. Daryl walked away from Rick wiping his face to hide any tears that had come to his eyes.

"Hold on. Let me process this." he said before wheeling around on Rick again.

"So you handcuffed my brother to a roof! And you left him there?!" Daryl roared at Rick taking a step toward him. Emma came to stand beside Shane as she watched Daryl boil over with rage.

"Yeah." was Rick's quiet response as he hung his head regretting the decision more now then ever.

Daryl backed away from Rick as a look of pure fury came over his face. He charged at Rick and tried to punch him but Rick dodged and shoved him to the ground Daryl grabbed his knife and got up and made to swing at Rick but his wrist was grabbed twisted painfully making him drop the knife before his arm was forced behind his back and another arm snaked around his neck getting him stuck in a choke hold to keep him in place before receiving a kick to the back of his knees making him kneel on the ground. He fought against the person holding him but the more he fought the tighter the arm around his neck got.

" Don't fight me Daryl this will only end badly for you." he continued to fight " Daryl stop fighting me or I swear I will choke you out." Emma hissed in his ear he continued to struggle but it was only a half ass attempt. As Rick crouched down to talk to him.

"I'd like to have a calm discussion on this topic, think we can manage that?" Rick said calmly when no response came he repeated the last part of his question.

"Think we can manage that?" he asked again more firmly this time. Emma loosened her grip around Daryl's neck enough so he could nod. When he did Emma let him go but stood right behind him ready to restrain him again if necessary. Rick continued to talk in a calm tone as Daryl sat in the dirt panting and listening.

" What I did was not on a whim. Your brother doesn't work or play well with others." said Rick who sounded more like he was talking to a child rather then an adult.

"Its not Rick's fault." said T-Dog speaking up after seeing Daryl's attempted attack on Rick.

"I had the key. I dropped it." T-Dog Admitted waiting for Daryl to blow up at him next.

"You couldn' pick it up?" asked Daryl trying to understand why his brother was stuck up on a roof in a walker infested city.

"I dropped it down a drain." T-Dog said as an explanation. Daryl hung his head in despair and anger as it all finally sunk in. His brother was somewhere in Atlanta cuffed to a roof with no way of getting off the roof and being able to protect himself.

"If that's suppose to make me feel better it don't." Daryl said as he got up and walked past T-Dog and the others.

"Then maybe this will. I chained the door so the geeks couldn't get at him, with a pad lock." T-Dog added making Daryl stop and listen again. If that comment made him feel better at all he didn't show it as he glared at T-Dog and the others.

"That's gotta count for something."Rick said hoping to calm the man down but this failed to. Daryl didn't blow up this time but tears were threatening to spill from his eyes as he wiped his face again; looking between Rick and T-Dog it seemed he didn't know who to be more angry at. Rick who handcuffed his brother in the first place or T-Dog for dropping the key down a drain.

"Hell with all ya!" he shouted his voice breaking as the sadness of loosing his brother creped up on him.

" Just tell me where he is, so I can go get him." Daryl choked out trying to stay strong but his voice failed him as it cracked and filled with sorrow. Emma felt sorry for him Merle might have been a total ass but he was all the family Daryl had left and now he was gone stuck on a roof somewhere in Atlanta.

"He'll show you." said Lori as she watched the whole scene before her and hearing what happened in Atlanta "You owe him that right." she said quietly before climbing into the RV. Rick thought about it for a minute before he nodded and looked back at Daryl.

"I'm going back." he said. Daryl said nothing but simply walked past him and back over to where Emma had put their kills. She followed him picking up the rabbits she had caught she didn't say a word to him. Daryl needed time to himself right now and she was not going to get in the way of that so when he marched off she did not follow; the rabbits could be rationed if need be. She went to head back to her tent when Glenn called her name.

" Hey Emma wait a sec." Glenn called making Emma stop and turn to face him.

"What's up Glenn?" she asked as she hung her kills on the hilt of a sword sticking out of her bag.

" We found someone in Atlanta that I think you will be happy to see." he said excitedly

"Glenn I don't have time for this I got to do something with these rabbits or they will start to rot in this heat." she said as she started to untie the rabbits from the string one by one.

" This will only take a sec and you'll thank me for it." Glenn pleaded trying to get Emma's attention as someone came up behind Glenn.

"Glenn your fighting a losing battle once Emma gets caught up in something its impossible to get her attention for even a second." said the stranger behind Glenn. Emma recognized the voice immediately and wheeled around to come face to face with her best friend Evan.

" Hi Emma, ya miss me?" he said standing there with a cocky grin on his face. That was all she needed to hear she launched herself at Evan who caught her and spun her around as she hugged him tight and laughed as they spun in circles. When he finally put her down she looked at his face and laughed again.

" I thought you were dead. When we got separated I couldn't find you or Frank I was worried. Oh thank God your alright." she cried as she hugged him tight again.

"Your glad? I was out of my mind with worry when I couldn't find you in Atlanta. So when I found Glenn and his group and Glenn told me you were alive and well I just about ran here on foot if Glenn hadn't stopped me." he said holding Emma close as if she would disappear again if he let her go. Emma pulled away from Evan and turned to Glenn who was smiling at the pair. Emma ran over to him and pulled him into a bone crushing hug.

"Thank you so much Glenn. You are the most wonderful person in the world for finding him thank you thank you thank you." she said.

" No problem." Glenn choked out

"Emma let him go he's turning blue you hugging him so hard." Evan said laughing as the poor boy struggled to breathe.

"Sorry!" she let him go completely and put her hands behind her back so as to resist the urge to hug him again.

" Its ok I'm glad I could help. I'm sorry I didn't find your brother too." Glenn looked at the ground in shame that he had only brought one out of two people back.

" Its ok Glenn I'm sure Frank is ok he's tough he'll be fine." she said trying to reassure Glenn and herself at the same time.

"He's probably headed to the highway like we planned. You remember how he said if ever got split up to meet at the highway leading out of Atlanta." Evan said also trying reassure himself and further reassure Emma.

" Yeah I remember. Maybe when Rick and the others get back with Merle we can go find him and bring him back." she said hopefully

"Sounds like a plan to me." Evan said as he dropped his rucksack beside Emma's.

" I could help you guys find him if you want." Glenn offered

" Many hands makes light work." said Evan as he began setting up his tent beside Emma's

" Thanks Glenn we could use an extra pair of eyes but lets not plan to far a head here we still have to get this Merle issue out of the way." Emma reminded them.

" Yeah see I was thinking about that and I was thinking that I should go with them back to Atlanta." Emma went to protest but was stopped by Evan.

"Now hear me out! The only reason I say I should go with them is I spent a lot of time in Atlanta looking for you so I was thinking I should go because I know all the safe routes through the city. I think they would be better off with me with them thats all." he said as he finished putting his tent together.

Emma looked at her oldest and dearest friend and mentor and sighed. She knew Evan wanted to help and as much as she didn't want him to go she would feel better if he went with them.

"Alright you should go." she said going over to her rucksack.

" Pardon?" said Evan not believing that she gave in that easy.

" I'm not going to argue with you I know your right and now that I have seen you survived I think I can trust you to go back there and come back alive and in one piece." she said as she stood up and turned to him.

"But if you are going back there take this with you." she tossed him one of the extra swords from her bag.

"Fair enough. But you know I also want to go back and see if I can Frank right? I want to give that place one last sweep before we jump ship." he said sadly.

"I know. Well if your going to go you two better go talk to Rick about it. Now go on! Get!" she said playfully shooing the two men away before turning back to deal with the rabbits she had caught. She was just about to start skinning the animals when Jackie came over.

"You've done enough for one day hun. First hunting down all of these and then fighting with Daryl you should get some rest. I'll deal with these and come and get ya when dinner is ready you get some rest." she said as she collected the rabbits from Emma.

" Thanks I could use a nap. If you need my help with anything please come get me." Emma pleaded as she took off her weapons and stacked them neatly inside her tent.

"Alright I hear ya. I"ll holler if I need ya." Jackie said before walking away with the rabbits.

Emma smiled and nodded in thanks as Jackie left. Emma went to walk into her tent when she looked over at Daryl who sat in front of his tent head down and a bolt in hand. It looked as if he was trying to hide his tears for his brother by cleaning his crossbow bolts but was failing. Emma looked over to the camp where she could see a search party being organized to go look for Merle. She hoped that they would find either a body or Merle alive and breathing. Merle may be a horrible person that no one liked but he was all Daryl had. Emma wanted to comfort the younger Dixon brother but she knew Daryl was the type that needed to be left alone. So she left him alone and prayed that Rick and Evan and the others would find something on that roof in Atlanta.


End file.
